Ayrshire Scotland Business News is provided by the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle, an association of some of the top companies in Ayrshire. We publicise our members, and celebrate and report the wealth and rich diversity of entrepreneurial and business excellence that abounds here in Ayrshire, south-west Scotland. For further information e-mail Murdoch@eliteayrshire.com

The Elite Ayrshire Business Circle

Friday, 3 February 2012

Celebrity TV chef Mafiz Ali has concocted not just one, but TWO enchantingly romantic menus at Ayr Spice Indian Restaurant in Minishant, South Ayrshire to celebrate St Valentine‘s Day on Tuesday 14 February.

And the restaurant’s history and beautiful setting will add additional touches of spice and romance to what will undoubtedly be a night to remember for everyone fortunate enough to be there.

For Ayr Spice Indian Cuisine is housed in the fine old red sandstone Memorial church at the entrance to the picturesque village of Minishant, 5 miles south of Ayr on the A77. The church was erected by the thread magnate Sir Peter Coats of nearby Auchendrane, in loving memory of his wife Glorianna, who died in 1877.

The special St Valentine’s Day menu will be available from Friday 19 February to Saturday 18 February by prior booking only. Normal A la carte menu always available.

* Sally Jadalo chicken or lamb cooked in honey and apricot (Mafiz’s own recipe) * Badami Passanda chicken or lamb – tender lamb or chicken marinated in yogurt in a special blend of herbs, spices and almonds in a light and creamy sauce with a dash of red wine. * Chicken or lamb Tofa – a very special dish from the Chilaura district - roasted pieces of chicken or lamb cooked with green chillies, tamarind, fresh coriander and green pepper and served with an aromatically-spiced sauce. * Shobji special Kufta – lightly-spiced mixed vegetables cooked in a spicy sauce with baked tomato and capsicum and garnished with spring-onion and coriander.

Wednesday, 1 February 2012

Scotland’s leading independent property consultancy, CKD Galbraith has reported a slightly more positive start to the year than expected, having experienced an encouraging level of activity in the Ayrshire property market.

Following research conducted by CKD Galbraith’s Ayr office for the first month of 2012, the firm noted an increase in the number of property viewings and new applicants registering.

The number of property viewings during January 2012 is up 50% on the same period for 2011, whilst the number of new buyers registered with the firm and actively seeking property in Ayrshire has increased by 63%.

Throughout 2011, CKD Galbraith sold property in excess of £200million across the whole of Scotland and the like-for-like data for 2011 compared to 2010 showed that viewing figures were up last year for the firm as a whole by a staggering 148%, with the number of properties sold during 2011 increasing by 16%.

Bob Cherry (pictured above), partner of CKD Galbraith and head of residential in the Ayr office said: “We have been encouraged by the recent more positive interest we have witnessed recently for the start of the year, and we hope that this might indicate a degree of confidence returning to the property market.

“There are serious buyers out there willing to purchase, but it remains very much a buyer’s market, so it is critical that property is priced accordingly and professional marketing is more important than ever. We believe now may prove the right time to buy.”

Prices achieved for all properties sold by the firm during 2012 were, like 2011, on average within 0.5% of the asking price, highlighting the firm’s unrivalled local knowledge of the market and expertise in setting prudent valuations.

There are currently over 2400 active buyers registered on the firm’s advanced marketing database with approximately 20% being cash buyers.

A recent example of a positive property sale in the area is Duisk Lodge (pictured above) by Barrhill, Ayrshire, a delightful country house in private wooded grounds. It was marketed at offers over £225,000 and sold at the closing date for £311,000 in October 2011 after receiving four offers of interest.

Currently for sale through CKD Galbraith’s Ayr office at offers over £180,000 is Nether Failford (pictured above) in South Ayrshire, an attractive Victorian Coach House requiring complete refurbishment in a sought after rural location. This property recently came on to the market at the beginning of January and has already received 36 viewings and five notes of interest.

The partnership provides the full range of property consulting services across the commercial, residential and rural sectors throughout Scotland. The company enjoys a successful relationship with its associate firm in London, CKD Kennedy Macpherson.

The company’s rural arm specialises in farm sales and purchases, the management and sale of large estates and woodland, valuations and building surveying work.

Tuesday, 31 January 2012

The fourth Alloway 1759 event on Sunday 29 January celebrating the birth and life of Scotland’s national Bard, Robert Burns has again been hailed as a resounding success.

People from all over South Ayrshire and some from well beyond, enjoyed sights, sounds and tastes from a bygone era, marking the work and legend of the nation’s greatest Scot.

Opening the event, South Ayrshire Provost Winifred Sloan (pictured above said: “Alloway 1759 is now in its fourth year – having been created to mark the Year of Homecoming in 2009 – and it has fast become a ‘must see’ attraction.

“Alloway village was transformed into a time gone by and it really added to the fun family event. There really was something for everyone to enjoy, music, poetry, acting, singing, dancing, walks and much more.

“The work of Burns was brought to life and everyone had a great time.”

Councillor Margaret Toner, Portfolio Holder for Economic Development, Tourism and Leisure for South Ayrshire Council said: “Every year this excellent event keeps growing, with new and innovative ideas on ways to celebrate the life and works of Robert Burns.

“It is now an established part of the national Winter Festivals programme, offering an afternoon as much about fun and celebration as it is about inspiration, education and information and I think that’s exactly how Rabbie himself would have wanted it.”

“South Ayrshire Council is committed to encouraging tourism and the promotion of all that we do best – and what better way to put the area on the map so early in the New Year than celebrating the life, work and legacy that is Rabbie Burns?”

Events in Alloway took place in and around Burns Cottage and the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum and many of them were free. Visitors enjoyed celtic music, Ayrshire Farmers Market, Maybole Pipe Band, the arrival of Rabbie, an outdoor Ceilidh, Hipshot theatre company, Alloway Amble, poetry recitals, singing, haggis hurling and much more.

All weekend there were guided tours of Rozelle House available.

Alloway 1759 was the first of two annual events in South Ayrshire celebrating Burns.

The next event, the Burns an’ a’ that! Festival will take place from Wednesday 30 May to Sunday 3 June 2012.

Sunday, 29 January 2012

Ayr Racecourse stages its third January meeting on Monday 30 January with the Winter Warmer Raceday due off at 12.50pm with the opening race The BetVictor.com Novices’ Hurdle.

There will be eight races on the card and the feature race is the BetVictor.com Handicap Hurdle Race due off at 3.25pm.

Leading trainers at the track Jim Goldie, Lucinda Russell and Donald McCain should all have runners and the afternoon ends with the Best Odds Guaranteed At BetVictor.com Standard National Hunt Flat Race for conditional and amateur jockeys.

Ayr raced on Tuesday 17 January with Donald McCain and Jason Maguire teaming up for a double initiated by Lexi’s Boy (5/2) in the BetVictor.com Maiden Hurdle followed by Total Rebellion (16/1) in the Play Casino At BetVictor.com Novices’ Handicap Hurdle.

A hefty gamble was landed on Yes Tom (7/4 fav) in the Bet Mobile At BetVictor.com Novices Chase for County Antrim based trainer Roy Wilson and jockey Paddy Brennan. Biggest priced winner on the day was Shooting Times (25/1) for Dumfries trainer Andrew Parker and young jockey Robert McCarth.

THE EDITORThe Editor of Ayrshire Scotland Business News is Murdoch MacDonald, a graduate of Magdalene College, Cambridge University, where his journalistic contemporaries included John Simpson, now World Affairs Editor with the BBC, and Alan Rusbridger, Editor of the Guardian. Murdoch MacDonald has been in the public relations industry and a freelance journalist and broadcaster for more than 35 years.He has handled the PR accounts of many top Scottish companies, including Royal Bank of Scotland, Standard Life, John Menzies, Kwik-Fit and Barratt Homes.

He has hosted his own family finance programmes - "£s, Pence and Sense" on Radio Forth and "Moneywise" on Scottish Television.He now runs Ayrshire’s top PR consultancy Fame Publicity Services.

Wherever you are in the world, no other public relations consultancy, PR firm or publicity company can offer you a better or more cost-effective worldwide news distribution service, combined with search engine optimisation techniques that will drive customers and qualified sales leads to your company's website.

Murdoch MacDonald is also managing director of the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle, an association of some of the top companies in Ayrshire.Telephone: 01292 281498E-mail: Murdoch@eliteayrshire.com

Murdoch and his wife Lilian (pictured above) have written a book called "Phoenix in a Bottle", describing how they overcame alcoholism and are now, contrary to conventional wisdom, able to drink alcohol responsibly again. "Phoenix in a Bottle" is published by Melrose Books price £16.99 and is now available worldwide.Reviewing the book, eminent American addiction expert Dr Stanton Peele PhD commented:

“Phoenix in a Bottle is a modern version of The Days of Wine and Roses, and tells the true story of how two people who entered a period of desperate drinking stayed with one another in a close loving relationship, and emerged from their alcoholism able to drink responsibly again.

“Both a wonderful love story and a challenge to conventional wisdom about how people can recover from drinking problems, Phoenix in a Bottle gives people hope, and helps them to confront their own demons - alcohol or otherwise.”

And now "Phoenix in a Bottle" has been selected as a set text by a top American university.

“Phoenix in a Bottle” by Lilian and Murdoch MacDonald will now be required reading for all doctoral students in a psychology programme at Alliant International University in San Diego, California.

Alliant International University, headquartered in San Diego and San Francisco, California, was formed in 2001 by the merger of the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) and the United States International University. Alliant has 6 campuses throughout California and also runs programmes in Mexico City, Hong Kong and Tokyo. The California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant is one of the premier psychology schools in the US, and it counts roughly half the licensed clinical psychologists in California as its alumni.

Dr. Gary W. Lawson is Professor of Psychology at CSPP. He says: “I adopted Phoenix in a Bottle because the dilemma this couple struggled with and the questions they ask themselves are like so many others I have encountered in 35 years of clinical experience treating addictions.“However, nowhere in addiction literature have I seen these issues examined and explained as well as Lilian and Murdoch do in Phoenix in a Bottle.“I also recommend Phoenix in a Bottle to many of my patients as well.”

You can buy "Phoenix in a Bottle" by Lilian and Murdoch MacDonald online now direct from Amazon UK (click on book cover image below).